VaYank5150
Gold Member
Time and time again, conservatives have claimed that extending unemployment benefits for the unemployed is breeding laziness and lack of productivity. Newt Gingrich was the latest to adopt this meme. Writing in an e-mail to supporters, Gingrich cited a Wall Street Journal story where unemployed 52-year-old mechanic Michael Hatchell explained that he couldnt afford to take jobs that wouldnt pay enough to take care of his family. Gingrich claimed welfare was keeping Hatchell from working.
Last night, Hatchell and his wife Sarah appeared on MSNBCs Countdown With Keith Olbermann to explain his familys circumstances in his own words. The mechanic said its really hard for someone like Mr. Gingrich to understand the challenges his family faces. He explained that the jobs he was offered would not have paid enough to cover his homes mortgage or support of his family, so he chose to stay on unemployment insurance. He also took offense at Gingrichs use of the word welfare to slur his taking of unemployment insurance, pointing out that he worked for 35 years, paying into unemployment insurance, and that he was simply taking money out of a fund that he worked hard to pay into:
What part of this program does Gingrich NOT understand? Is this how he hopes to get more people into the GOP's "big tent"?
Think Progress Unemployed Man Reacts To Gingrich’s Accusation That ‘Welfare’ Is Making Him Lazy: I Paid Into It For 35 Years